Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Revealing mistake: At the zoo, Harry looks to his right, at the 'bred in captivity' sign of the Python. In this close-up, the green plant that is below, to the side of the exhibit sign, is protruding out past where the glass supposedly is, yet this is BEFORE the glass disappears. As a matter of fact, this plant, nearest the exhibit sign, changes its position considerably throughout these shots. (00:06:50)

Super Grover

Revealing mistake: In the scene at the beginning of the movie where all of the letters from Hogwarts are coming into the Dursley's house, it causes everything to shake. It is quite obvious, however, that it is just the cameras that are moving as no objects in the room are moving at all (ie. the curtains, or any of the knicknacks). (00:11:30)

Revealing mistake: When Harry is walking in the library's restricted section, you see the shadow of the library pillars on the bookshelf. If the light was coming from his lantern, there would be no shadow - the light is obviously from a spotlight elsewhere. (01:25:20)

Revealing mistake: In the shots facing Vernon, he holds the first Hogwarts letter while sitting at the table. Though in the close-up of the letter as he holds it, it is not Richard Griffiths' hand, that is shown with bitten up fingernails, holding the envelope. (00:09:15)

Super Grover

Revealing mistake: While Vernon kneels as he tosses Harry's Hogwarts letters into the fire, the interior solid back of the fireplace is visible behind the flames. On Sunday, the first letter (from the fireplace with a CG back) hits Vernon in the face as it flies by. In the following two shots of the fireplace, as more letters fly out, there are now large holes at the interior back of the fireplace that are visible. As the letters pour down from above, air is blown through these holes to blow the letters out and about. (00:10:20 - 00:11:20)

Super Grover

Revealing mistake: Just after Harry gets back on his broom, the Slytherine seeker chases the snitch and he passes towers of (in order) Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherine, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, on his left (this means Hogwarts is also to his left), when Harry flies up beside him. However, next shot as Harry slams into him, they still fly in the same direction, and the school is now on their right. Mistake with the background plate. (01:22:00)

Super Grover

Revealing mistake: When the mail comes, Ron receives the Daily Prophet and Harry asks, "Can I borrow this?" As Harry asks to borrow the newspaper, the Malfoy body double is plainly visible over Ron's left shoulder. (00:54:10)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Revealing mistake: After Madame Hooch takes Neville to the hospital wing, Malfoy takes the Remembrall and mounts his broomstick, on a convenient protruding metal rod. Then when he comes around, though the students step away and watch as he begins to fly off, many of their eyes are not level with Malfoy, as he is merely edited into the end of this shot. (00:57:50)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Revealing mistake: When Harry brings Ron to see the mirror of Erised, the green side of the invisibility cloak is seen when they are running to the mirror, near the door they entered from. (01:33:55)

Revealing mistake: In the flying letters scene, when the letters are coming through the chimney, if you look closely when Harry catches one you can see that the letters are all photocopied because the letter seal is not raised. (00:11:05)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Revealing mistake: During the Quidditch game, none of the players have shadows on the ground. (01:16:20)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Revealing mistake: After being dropped by the troll in the girls' lavatory, Harry then scoots backwards on his backside and it is apparent that he is wearing knee pads under his pants. (01:11:40)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Revealing mistake: At the start of the overhead shot as the troll's club smashes the cubicles, while Hermione lies on the ground, the top beams of all the cubicle walls and the front door of the second cubicle are all visibly pre-broken before the club slams into them. (01:10:15)

Super Grover

Revealing mistake: During Madame Hooch's flying lesson, as Ron tries to get his broomstick to float up to his hand, Ron moves his head towards his right to be in perfect alignment with the handle of his broomstick, as it flies up to whack him in the head. (00:55:40)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Revealing mistake: At the end of the film, when Harry is leaving on the Hogwarts Express, and the overhead shot shows the train pulling away from the station you can clearly see that Hagrid is of normal height, as the train roof is much taller than he is. (02:23:40)

Revealing mistake: While sitting on the couch in the hut on the rock, Hagrid asks, "Did you ever make anything happen, anything you couldn't explain? When you were angry or scared?" In the shot when he's getting up off the couch, it is blatantly apparent that the fingers on his left hand are latex in this shot. The hands are visibly artificial in other shots as well. (00:15:30)

Super Grover

Revealing mistake: Has anyone else noticed that Ron's rat, while on the Hogwarts Express at the beginning, is at one point fake! When he is explaining his spell to Harry, it comes into shot and is completely still, it moves like it is a toy. (00:36:25)

Revealing mistake: Harry, Ron and Hermione are at Hagrid's hut asking him about the hooded man and the dragon egg. The background behind Hagrid, which is the hut, is really behind him, but when it cuts to Harry, Ron and Hermione it is very apparent that the kids were edited in with their background, which is the school. (01:50:45)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Revealing mistake: When the letters burst through the letter opening, which has been covered by a piece of wood, you can see that the piece of wood was pre-cut. (00:12:00)

sadie

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Revealing mistake: When Harry and Hagrid are at Gringotts and are pulling up in the cart to Harry's vault, in the overhead shot you can see the various levels bellow them. In the next shot in the lower left corner you can see what appears to be blue screen just bellow the walking surface. (00:22:10)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: At the snake exhibit, while Harry speaks with the Python the snake's body lies curled over a long wood log and a large rock. In the shot from outside the Python's exhibit, after the glass pane disappears Dudley falls over the rail and the snake is gone, not positioned differently or blocked from view, but altogether gone. In the next overhead shot inside the Python's exhibit, while Dudley falls the snake is back lying on the log and rock, in the very same position as in the previous shots. (00:07:10)

Super Grover

More mistakes in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Draco Malfoy: Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask yours. Red hair... And a hand-me-down robe. You must be a Weasley.

More quotes from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Trivia: For anyone who hasn't read the book: The inscription on top of the Mirror of Erised says "erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi". If you read the inscription backwards it says "I show not your face but your heart's desire".

More trivia for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Question: How did Dudley get out of the snake exhibit after falling in?

Answer: Petunia or Vernon would have ran to a zoo employee and told them what happened. The employee would then open the door to the snake exhibit letting Dudley out.

More questions & answers from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

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